Our Toyota Matrix has served our family well for ten years. It's gone through nearly every human-induced disaster known to humanity. On the first day we brought it home, my mother spilled an extra-large soda cup in the front passenger seat. We've cleaned vomit from the carpets and back seat, bird crap dropped into the driver seat and driver's door when the driver window was left open for fifteen minutes, and pounds of dog hair from its hatchback. It's been hit by uninsured motorists (twice!), rear-ended, had the rear bumper torn off, had the windshield cracked and replaced by flying rocks on the interstate, been scraped along the passenger door by blackberry bramble and gotten stuck at a ninety-degree angle on the side of a hill... but it is still on the road and has had very few mechanical issues. We love the reliable moonroof (we rarely have it open in the hot weather in Southern California!), and the back end, which is big enough for our dog to be happy. The gas mileage is more than adequate, much better than a traditional SUV. We are on the 3rd battery and nearing the end of the 2nd set of brakes. We've driven it up and down the state of California multiple times, and I find it comfortable to drive, although my husband would say it's okay but not great (he's over six foot tall with the build of a football player, so that would explain the size issue). There have been recalls on this vehicle and we were told we have to wait 6 weeks for the part to fix the passenger airbag (and that we couldn't use the passenger seat until it was installed). One part was replaced while the vehicle was still under warranty. But this car has served our family well from the car seat stage to high school, and we hope it will continue to do well for another four or five years.

In the time I have had my car, I have had no serious issues with it. It has been great on gas, both for short trips work and such, as well as longer travel. It has a great safety rating which attracted me to the car in the first place. The car handles very well, it's a smooth ride. Its little and compact and I will admit it being cute sold me a little on it. Its comfortable to for long drives, nice seating both front and back seats. It has excellent storage. I used this car to move twice. The hatchback is excellent the back seats fold down for optimal storage. I was able to fit a lot in the back. Maintenance has been minimal, I have the tires rotated every six months and oil change ect. But only ever the basics. Like I said no serious problems have arisen at all during the years I have owned it. The only dislike I really have about the car, is that it is difficult to change the oil yourself without a lift. Due to the compact size of the car it is hard to get to the oil filter to change it. The quality of the car seems great it has held up beautifully over the years that I have been driving it and I personally have put quite a few miles on it over the years. But very few complaints